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Mobility impairments include a broad range of disabilities that affect a person’s independent movement and cause limited mobility. Mobility impairments may result from cerebral palsy, spinal chord injury, stroke, arthritis, muscular dystrophy, amputations, or polio. Mobility impairments may take the form of paralysis, muscle weakness, nerve damage, stiffness of the joints, or lack of balance or coordination. Only people whose mobility impairments substantially limit a major life activity are covered by the ADA.
The conditions that cause mobility impairments each have their own distinct characteristics. Some mobility impairments are acquired at birth, while others are caused by accidents, illnesses, or the natural process of aging.
MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY
A definition provided by the Muscular Dystrophy Family Foundation describes muscular dystrophy (MD) as the common name for many progressive hereditary diseases that cause muscles to weaken and degenerate. According to the Foundation, there are 43 different neuromuscular diseases. The term muscular dystrophy is kind of a misnomer as it is a category of diseases, but not a disease itself. MD is caused by altered genes, which prevent the body from manufacturing essential substances in adequate amounts to maintain and fuel the muscles. Each type of MD has its own hereditary pattern, age of onset, and rate of muscle loss. In cases where heredity does not seem to be a factor, MD occurs because of a new gene mutation in the affected person or the parent(s) of that person.
POLIO
The Polio Society defines polio, short for poliomyelitis, as a disease that can damage the nervous system and cause paralysis. The polio virus lives in the throat and intestinal tract of infected persons. The virus attacks the nerve cells that control muscle movements. Many people infected with the virus have few or no symptoms, and others only have short-term symptoms such as headache, tiredness, fever, stiff neck and back, and muscle pain. More serious problems occur when the virus invades nerves in the brain and causes paralysis of the muscles used in swallowing and breathing. Invasion of the nerves in the spinal cord can cause paralysis of the arms, legs, and trunk. Polio is most common in infants and young children, but complications occur most often in older persons. Post-polio is a name given to new symptoms of increased weakness, fatigue, and muscle deterioration that occur in people who previously contracted polio after many years of relatively stable physical condition. This syndrome typically shows up in middle age or later.
Suggestions to Improve Access and Positive Interactions
- If a person appears to have little grasping ability, do not be afraid to shake hands.
- Do not hold on to a person's wheelchair. It is a part of the person's body space and touching it or leaning on it are both inappropriate and dangerous.
- Talk directly to a person using a wheelchair, not to an attendant or third party.
- During a conversation with a person using a wheelchair, consider sitting down in order to share eye level.
- Avoid inappropriate terms such as "cripple," "confined to a wheelchair," "bed-ridden," "wheelchair-bound," "deformed," and "suffering from a disability." Instead, use terms such as "person with a physical disability" or "person who uses a wheelchair.“
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